Movie shooting created a buzz in North Jersey

Whatever it was, whoever it was, it caused quite a buzz around North Jersey on Friday.

Commercial film crews parked trucks and trailers on Skyline Drive in Oakland this week. As drivers in the area reported the conspicuous vehicles and traffic backups, word spread and rumors flew on Twitter and Facebook, filled with residents’ speculation.

Victoria Baker, 18, saw the tweets and went to see for herself Thursday night along with friend Olivia Sohn.

"We saw several large trailers parked in the parking lot at the top of Skyline Drive as well as near the bottom," said the Ringwood resident, who posted a grainy photo of the lit-up staging area on Twitter.

The girls saw a police officer in one parking lot and several large trailers, including one that said "movie catering."

Baker heard the rumors that the trucks were there for filming of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," starring Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. Or perhaps it was for "Winter’s Tale," a movie starring Russell Crowe and Will Smith that is scheduled to be released later this year.

So what was the film crew doing deep in the woods of Ringwood State Park and Ramapo Mountain State Forest?

Contradictory information added to the mystery.

"The movie wrapped several weeks ago," said a source close to production of "Catching Fire." "They are not shooting there. I can tell you that definitively."

Something was happening and some clues pointed in Katniss’ direction. A state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said a movie was filming in the area. A permit was filed with the state for a commercial film shoot at Ringwood State Park and Ramapo Mountain State Forest for GGX Productions under the film name "Idiom." GGX has been connected to casting and production of "The Hunger Games," and it was widely reported that casting calls and earlier filming of the sequel at Georgia locations were done under "Idiom."

The $200 permit called for scouting of the locations on Tuesday, prep on Wednesday and filming Thursday and Friday with any extra days to be determined. State Park Police at the entrance to Ringwood State Park said the entire park was closed Friday and would reopen today. The Oakland, Ringwood and State Park Police departments wouldn’t comment on the filming or even the traffic the "alleged" filming caused.

The crew was specifically permitted to film at two locations: MacEvoy Trail (Blue Blaze) at the lower parking lot of Ramapo Mountain State Forest, and the northwest shore of Ramapo Lake. GGX expected a staff of 50 to 75 people and 20 vehicles, according to the permit.

"People file for permits all the time," said the "Hunger Games" source.

"Catching Fire" was filmed extensively in the Atlanta area and Hawaii last year and is scheduled to be released on Nov. 22. The first film, released in 2012, grossed $408 million domestically.

On Friday, there were two apparent staging areas on Skyline Drive about a half-mile to a mile apart, and vans were seen apparently shuttling people from the first area — where production trucks and trailers were parked and the crew was seen drinking coffee — to and through a second staging area of trucks that sat at the entrance to the park.

"Catching Fire" is the much-anticipated second movie in "The Hunger Games" franchise, which is based on the young-adult novels by Suzanne Collins about a post-apocalyptic land where young boys and girls are chosen by lottery to complete in a televised battle until only one is left alive.